Feigning concern, she said, “Ridley, if Agnes finds out, she might leave you. I don’t need to take her place, you know. Just being by your side is enough for me.”
Then, like some delicate thing, she leaned into his arms.
He soothed her first, and then he sneered.
“Agnes has been kept dependent on me for so long that she’s useless now. Even if she learns the truth, she won’t leave. She’s like a well-fed dog—have you ever seen one walk away from its master?”
I couldn’t listen to another word. Tears stung my eyes as I turned and fled toward the restroom.
I forced my breathing to steady before pulling out my phone. My voice was raw when my brother answered the call.
“Haley… I want to leave Ridley. I’m keeping the baby and coming back to you.”
On the other end of the line, my brother’s voice carried a satisfied smile.
“Finally. I told you I’d never steer you wrong. Ridley’s too calculating, Agnes. He’s never suited for you. Ten years with him? That was just you being naïve. Terron’s still waiting. I’ll handle everything. I’ll come pick you up in a week. Just get rid of that son of a bitch first as soon as you can.”
“Alright,” I replied. “I got it.”
Agnes’s POV
I hung up the phone, my body weak, and stepped out of the restroom—only to run right into Lynzee, who was touching up her makeup at the door.
It was as if she had known I’d been hiding there all along. The moment she saw me, her lips curved into a taunting smile.
“Agnes? You finally decided to come out?” she said lightly. “You saw how much Ridley dotes on me and our son. I thought you’d be crying in the restroom all day.”
I met her gaze without flinching, forcing a faint and brittle smile.
“Relax,” I said flatly. “What you want isn’t necessarily what I want. It’s just a man. If you want him, he’s yours.”
Her cold laugh cut through the air.
“Oh, drop the act. You think I don’t know today’s your tenth wedding anniversary with Ridley? I made sure to hold our son’s fifth birthday party today on purpose. And guess what—your husband agreed without hesitation.”
A sharp pain stabbed through my chest, but maybe it was because I’d already endured too much in a single day; the feeling quickly dulled into numbness.
When I stayed silent, her smile grew even more arrogant.